Whitby Folk Week

So here for Folk Week again. The second time intentionally. Fifth time in wonderful Whitby. 

Folk Week is very hectic - we are staying in a flat a little out of town this time, so haven't been dipping into quite as many activities as before. Activities we have done have been a mixed bag.

I was overjoyed to see activities aimed at the inexperienced this year, but several of these have proved disappointing. Somehow you are already assumed to have a very good ear, or a working knowledge of the more popular tunes. The two workshops that really did what they said on the tin, and were suitable for all abilities were, in no particular order, Pete Cooper's Appalachian tunes workshop, and an all abilities fiddle workshop where we learned a couple of tunes from the South West. What both did was to call out the notes, rather than just expect you to hear them accurately and judge what the next one is going to be in the space of a nanosecond. Anyway, both good, and the only ones that I have left feeling I've joined in properly and also learned something.

Dancing - haven't done so much this year, partly because the teenager's been in two minds about whether to come to the Ceilidhs and we've only had one set of keys to the flat, so Phil's had to zoom backwards and forwards with the boy between the Pavilion and the outer reaches of the town towards the new bridge. Did go and see Eliza Carthy and the Park Bench Social Club on Monday night, with a lead in from Eliza and Saul Rose on the accordion. Exciting stuff. A harp player with a flautist went first and were dreamily magical. 

Tonight is the Queen ceilidh. Last year I dressed up for the Abba one, but this year, although I can picture how men could dress for the Queen ceilidh -ie flamboyantly, I have no idea what to wear.  It will be a non-Queen specific swirly dancey frock.

Our flat: Although it is very nice, it's a long way from everything...also, we have a disagreeable neighbour who greeted us on day two with demands that we did not bang the doors, and telling us that he lived in Whitby all the year round. All this said very aggressively. He is the only unpleasant person I have come across in Whitby, apart from, of course, impatient and intolerant ceilidh dancers. They are of course a tiny minority of our fellow revellers.

What I'm really pleased about though, is that we have managed to secure a house for next year's Folk Week, and over in our favourite part of Whitby, too. Clever us.

More tomorrow.

Whitby 2008

Arrived in Whitby on Saturday. This year we thought we'd launch straight into Folk Week for our first week and then have a week up here to relax and recover afterwards. So far this seems like the best way round. Did it the other way last year and we went home exhausted! Nothing like the exhaustion we experienced afterwards though, when we moved to my dad's to look after him.

This year the journey went smoothly - we sent our luggage ahead - just like the Victorians and Edwardians did, and timed our journey well. The Coastliner bus was a double decker and very comfortable. This time, we had a holdall, a carrier bag and a violin, last year it was 3 violins, two guitars, fishing rods and two suitcases. A company called Carry my Luggage took the strain this time, and charged about 90 quid for the return taking of two suitcases and some fishing rods from London to Whitby.

Aah Whitby, so beautiful; so unchanging. well some little changes maybe. A smart bar by the harbour called Marine is rather nice. Noticed another couple of new restaurants and bars, too. Phil and I had coffee and a piece of lovely cake at Marine yesterday afternoon-too early for me to sample the oysters with a glass of wine at that point, but I'll be going back! What a thing to be able to sample an oyster or two while taking in the view.

Thought I'd read Dracula this year. Am on about chapter 7 at the moment, with the description of Whitby - Mina describes the view from the West Cliff. Am struck by how unchanged this view is. 

Half way through Folk Week now. Have been to a few workshops aimed at all abilities, or beginners. Amazing how some have an element of sadism involved...

The best one's been a mixed ability workshop for fiddlers. Now that is how such a thing ought to be run. We were expected to play by ear, but instead of, as in some, being expected to pluck notes out of the air and hope for the best, we were patiently told which notes were involved, and how we could join in with chords and drones even if we lost the thread of the tune. Definitely the most competent and confident I've felt so far in a group fiddling situation.

More tomorrow.